Asked before Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe why he advised Bluestocking's owners to pay an extra €120,000 (about £100,000) to race, Ralph Beckett was candid. Ta. “I couldn't see any reason not to do it,” Beckett said. The gamble paid off time and time again in Europe's most valuable race, with the four-year-old filly coming home a quarter of a length behind Adventure. The Rossa Ryan ride was Plan A for Longchamp from first step to last.
Longchamp is a rare track with a loop as long as a circuit, and the key to running this course – easier said than done – is to save as much ground as possible around the wide corners. Ryan was lucky to leave the third stall close to the rail, but everything that followed was a result of his ruthlessness in making the most of the draw.
This looked like an exceptionally open renewal of the arc beforehand, as the majority of the field was about 6 pounds apart on the ratings, but in reality, only a handful of the 16 runners It turned out that he was seriously involved.
Ryan Moore took the lead early on and set a solid pace in Los Angeles winning the Irish Derby, with Ryan and the Bluestockings following close behind, as the winner was sent home some 400 meters out. , Adventure, who finished second to Bluestocking in last month's Prix Vermeil, could mount a serious challenge.
One-twos from Vermeil were repeated at the line, and Los Angeles maintained third place, highlighting Moore's excellent judgment of pace. Andre Favre's Sosy was sent off at his hometown Tote with around 3 wins and 1 loss, but finished in 4th place.
The Bluestockings' success on Sunday's 103rd running of the Ark comes 39 years after Rainbow Quest and Pat Eddery presented the first prize to Juddmonte founder, the late Prince Khalid Abdullah, for Juddmonte's blood collection business. This marks the seventh victory in the world's famous pink, green and white colors. victory. This was a debut win at the Arc for both Beckett and Ryan, who finished second at Westover last year.
“I was expecting something to come and catch her behind. It's a long straight and that's always a concern,” Beckett said. “But it will take a long time to get to her, and she does not give in easily. At Vermeil, she was decapitated by Adventure, but he came back and defeated her.
“I grew up watching things like Rainbow Quest and Dancing Brave, so it's a huge thrill to train these color winners. It's an honor to train for Juddmonte and I'm excited to train Ark Winners for them. It’s an extraordinary thing to be able to train.”
Bluestocking required a six-figure extra fee to run, and entries closed just days before her successful season debut in the Middleton Stakes at York in May.
“She had been placed in several Group 1s as a three-year-old, but had never won a stakes race,” explained Juddmonte racing manager Barry Mahon. “I think we took our eye off the ball at the time and said we were going to get through this year and that it would be great if she earned the right to fill in.”
Meanwhile, it was the Bluestockings' success at Vermeil that ultimately changed the balance, and although Ryan gave much of the credit for the win to Beckett and Juddmonte, he could ride on last month's success to make the difference as he did on Sunday. Ta.
“When I analyzed my form, I was pretty confident, but not confident enough to tell anyone,” Ryan said. “She achieved what I thought she could do. I was just lucky to be able to join her, but here is someone who has accomplished more than me. There are a lot of them.
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“The draw was the key and she jumped and settled well. Once she got behind Ryan, she got into a great rhythm and from there we had every chance to win. But we didn't really get there. We had to see what was in store and she did not disappoint us.”
Although Bluestocking seems likely to be heading towards retirement, the partnership between trainer and jockey is sure to continue to grow.
yarmouth 1.40 Little Princess Sophia 2.15 Starlit Spice 2.50 Zanzun 3.25 Melon Twist 4.00 Blacklesham Bay 4.35 Mrs Meader 5.10 Never Better 5.45 Marching Mac
Stratford on Avon 2.07 Denzil 2.42 Cophill Rudd 3.17 Lawrence Bay 3.52 Bourla Boss 4.27 River Robe 5.02 Eric Carmen 5.37 Top Tier Gossip
wolverhampton 4.23 Visibility 4.55 Piranha Llama 5.30 Sky Advocate 6.00 Tequila 6.30 Take a Breath 7.00 Bossy Parker 7.30 Haku 8.00 Burlington House 8.30 Under Curfew (nb)
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pontefract 1.17 Lord Palamedes 1.52 Profitter 2.27 Lord Dinadan 3.02 Epidavros 3.37 Justus 4.12 Willam Dewhurst 4.45 Emperor Caradoc (Nap) 5.20 Wichapi
yarmouth 1.40 Little Princess Sophia 2.15 Starlit Spice 2.50 Zanzun 3.25 Melon Twist 4.00 Blacklesham Bay 4.35 Mrs Meader 5.10 Never Better 5.45 Marching Mac
Stratford on Avon 2.07 Denzil 2.42 Cophill Rudd 3.17 Lawrence Bay 3.52 Bourla Boss 4.27 River Robe 5.02 Eric Carmen 5.37 Top Tier Gossip
wolverhampton 4.23 Visibility 4.55 Piranha Llama 5.30 Sky Advocate 6.00 Tequila 6.30 Take a Breath 7.00 Bossy Parker 7.30 Haku 8.00 Burlington House 8.30 Under Curfew (nb)
“Every month he's become a better rider,” Beckett said. “I think the first winner he had me ride was a scary maiden mare around Wolverhampton on Saturday night, but he wrestled her. He has a few more of those things as well. Yes, and the relationship grew from there.
“Today went according to plan, but it was his plan at Vermeil and today was his plan again.”
